[Just another Joe]

Norway announced its nationwide ban on Tuesday, saying it could be made law as early as 2004. The move is largely a response to the country's high death rate among passive smokers, 500 people a year out of a population of 4.5 million.

Norway already has one of the strictest anti-smoking laws, and its policies are likely to be copied by most European countries.

I thought it was worth posting for this nugget only.
Norway has one of the strictest anti-smoking laws but the deaths from "passive smoking" are higher than normal?

[scholar]

has one of the strictest anti-smoking laws but the deaths from "passive smoking" are higher than normal?

This is such a crock! I have worked in cancer clinical trials and cancer data. I want these people to tell us how they came to the conclusion that these deaths were caused by "passive smoking" as opposed to other genetic, environmental, occupational hazards or random occurrences

[SpottedBeaver]

...high death rate among passive smokers...

Ok... This is just nonsense. A passive smoker is a non-smoker. Can they attribute these numbers to actual contact with a smoker? Or were these people hit by a bus when they were fleeing the guy that just lit up?

[robertpaulsen]

500 out of 4.5 million? Even if true, which I doubt, aren't there other causes of death that deserve more attention?

[mikeIII]

I doubt very much if medical science is sufficiently advanced to determine that 500 deaths in a population of 4.5 million result from passive smoking.

[Just another Joe]

Puff

[Great Dane]

#1....... That says something doesn't it, I wonder how they proved those deaths to be from passive smoking.

[Leisler]

"He said cases such as that of Marlene Sharp, a Port Kembla bar worker who was awarded $466,000 by a jury last year for injuries caused by passive smoking, showed publicans and restaurant owners there was a risk of being sued."

Proof? This is proof that some day we will round up all the lawyers and make them historical victums.